Leonard Saxe

In Ten Days, Leonard Saxe, Brandeis University, and Barry Chazan, Spertus College, serve as tour guides and interpreters as they tell the story of Birthright Israel, an intensive ten-day educational program designed to connect Jewish young adults to their heritage. The authors describe Birthright Israel in ten chapters paralleling the ten days of the trip, and in the process, bring the experiences of the participants vividly to life.

In the summer of 2000, social psychologists Amy L. Sales and Leonard Saxe, along with a team of colleagues, spent several days at each of twenty Jewish summer camps located throughout the United States. They spoke to camp directors, counselors, and other staff members, and they closely observed daily life, including mealtimes, special activities, and Sabbath rituals. The result of their investigation is this enlightening book. In addition to the rich ethnographic material gleaned from their participant-observation field study, the authors offer a national census of Jewish residential camps, organizational analyzes of camps, and social psychological surveys of the attitudes and motivations of the young adults who work at camps. "How Goodly Are Thy Tents" provides a vivid snapshot of the world of Jewish summer camps.